FastTips for FoxPro for Mac: General Interface Q&A

ID: Q109070

The information in this article applies to:

       Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File)
            FC0959: GENERAL INTERFACE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
                                                  Revision Date: 12/93
                                                      No Disk Included

The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro(R) version 2.5 for Macintosh(R).

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|                                                                    |
| Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.     |
| Microsoft, FoxPro, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows|
| is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                           |
| Macintosh is a registered trademark and Finder is a trademark of   |
| Apple Computer, Inc.                                               |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------

General Interface Features

1. Q. How can I choose the default push button in a dialog box

       when I am using the keyboard?

    A. Press COMMAND+ENTER to choose the default push button in a
       dialog box. The default push button in a Macintosh dialog box
       is outlined with a bold oval.

2. Q. Why isn't my CONFIG.FP file loaded when I start FoxPro for
       Macintosh?

    A. On the Macintosh, the configuration file must be named
       CONFIG.FPM, and it must be located in the same directory as the
       application. If you are starting FoxPro from an alias, you
       still must place the CONFIG.FPM in the same directory as the
       actual application to which the alias points.

3. Q. How can I adjust the style of the text that appears on the
       FoxPro desktop when I execute commands that print?

    A. With the Command window active and the SHIFT key held down,
       choose Screen Font from the Text menu. This allows you to
       change the screen font. Also see the MODIFY WINDOW command in
       the "Language Reference." Remember that the name of the window
       to be modified in this case is "screen."

4. Q. In FoxBASE+/Mac, the Debug and Trace commands are located
       on the Window menu. Are they available in FoxPro for Macintosh?

    A. The designers of FoxPro decided to rearrange the menus so that
       options are grouped by function. The Trace and Debug commands
       are located on the Program menu, which is consistent with
       FoxPro version 2.5 for MS-DOS and Windows.

5. Q. Although FoxPro's language is rich, it doesn't contain all
       the functions I need to get my job done. How can I extend
       FoxPro's dictionary of commands and functions?

    A. A Library Construction Kit (LCK) for FoxPro for Macintosh,
       similar to the LCKs for MS-DOS and Windows, is available to
       assist you. FoxPro for Macintosh accepts internal HyperCard(R)
       1.0 commands (XCMDs) and functions (XFCNs). These code
       resources are written in a programming language such as C,
       Pascal, or Assembler and are incorporated into FoxPro through a
       special resource interface.

       Anyone using the LCK should have a solid understanding of one
       or more of the these languages, as well as the Macintosh
       Toolbox, which is described in "Inside Macintosh", a
       multivolume reference describing all the function calls
       available in both the Macintosh ROMs and the system software.
       This reference set is published by Addison-Wesley.

       To specify the file that contains the code that FoxPro should
       load and call, use the SET XCMDFILE command described in the
       FoxPro "Language Reference."

6. Q. When I modify a database structure, why is the Picture
       type unavailable?

    A. Just as in FoxPro for MS-DOS and Windows, the picture type is
       maintained for compatibility with FoxBASE+/Mac. All Picture
       type objects must now be incorporated into tables using object
       linking and embedding (OLE).

7. Q. What is object linking and embedding (OLE)?

    A. OLE is a data-interchange technology developed by Microsoft
       that is prevalent in the Windows environment and available in
       many applications on the Macintosh, such as Microsoft Word and
       Microsoft Excel. OLE allows you to link or embed text, images,
       sound, and full-motion videos (QuickTime(TM) movies, for
       example) into your FoxPro tables. OLE objects are stored in
       general fields. For more information about OLE, see the
       "Developer's Guide."

8. Q. What are wizards?

    A. Wizards are designed to make often-repeated tasks easier to
       accomplish. Wizards are agents that, when invoked to perform a
       task, ask you a small set of questions to accomplish what would
       ordinarily require a great deal of effort. Wizards are
       available for generating reports, screens, and, if you own the
       Distribution Kit, setting up floppy disks for distribution of
       your application. The wizards can be invoked from the Run menu.

9. Q. The Program menu contains the Beautify command. What does
       it do?

    A. The Beautify command alters the appearance of program files so
       that they are easier to read. For example, you can alter the
       case of keywords and variables and add indentation within
       procedures and DO CASE statements. You can also highlight a
       program's organization by bracketing flow-control statements.

FoxPro Window Features

1. Q. Why can some windows in FoxPro be resized but others

       can't?

    A. FoxPro for Macintosh contains both windows you can size and
       windows you can't size. Windows that contain a text-editing
       region are sizable. Examples of sizable windows are the Command
       window, the Screen Design window, and the Report Layout window.
       These windows may contain scroll bars and a sizing box in the
       bottom-right corner of the window. Windows you can't size are
       usually dialog boxes that contain interface objects such as
       push buttons. Examples of windows you can't size include the
       View and RQBE windows.

2. Q. Why doesn't the FoxPro desktop window contain scroll bars?

    A. The FoxPro desktop window was not designed to be a scrollable
       window.

3. Q. Can I change the title of the FoxPro desktop window to
       better suit my application?

    A. The title of the FoxPro desktop window can be changed in two
       ways. The first is to include the "TITLE=" directive in the
       CONFIG.FPM file. For more information, see the "Installation
       and Macintosh Features Guide." The other method is to use the
       MODIFY WINDOW command from within your application. For more
       information, see the "Language Reference." Remember that the
       name of the FoxPro desktop window is "screen."

       To further customize your application, you can also change the
       About Microsoft FoxPro command on the Apple(R) menu. For more
       information, see the related commands SET APLABOUT and ON
       APLABOUT in the "Language Reference."

4. Q. When I click a window to make it active and then issue a
       command in the Command window, why doesn't the output for that
       command appear in the active window?

    A. There is an important distinction between the active window and
       the output window. A window does not have to be active to be
       the output window. The active window is the foremost window on
       the desktop. No part of an active window is obscured by any
       other window. An active window also has one or more of the
       following characteristics: horizontal stripes across the title
       bar; a visible close, zoom, or size control; or scroll bars.
       Bear in mind that these attributes are not defined for some
       windows, such as modal dialog boxes.

5. Q. What does the check mark signify in the list of windows on
       the Window menu?

    A. The Window menu lists the currently defined windows. The
       "screen" (that is, the FoxPro desktop window) is always
       defined. The check mark appears next to the current output
       window. For more information about the output window, see the
       ACTIVATE WINDOW command and the WOUTPUT() function in the
       "Language Reference."

6. Q. What happened to all the output windows available in
       FoxBASE+(R) for the Macintosh?

    A. FoxBASE+/Mac doesn't support user definition of output windows.
       It provides only nine screens to which output can be directed.
       In FoxPro for Macintosh, this limitation has been eliminated;
       the number of windows you can define is limited only by the
       amount of available memory. To create your own output windows,
       use DEFINE WINDOW and other related commands. Note that the
       SCREEN command in FoxBASE+/Mac has been supplanted in FoxPro by
       the MODIFY WINDOW command. For more details, see the "Language
       Reference."

7. Q. How can I hide all windows in front of the current output
       window?

    A. On the Macintosh, press COMMAND+OPTION+CTRL+SHIFT.

Additional reference words: FoxMac 2.50b ivrfax fasttips appnote KBCategory: kbui kbprg kbfasttip kbappnote KBSubcategory:

Last Reviewed: December 12, 1996